Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers - The Singles Collection 1934-51 (CD)

Bill Boyd & His Cowboy Ramblers - The Singles Collection 1934-51 Bill Boyd, born in 1910 and raised on a farm in Texas, survived the hard times of the Depression by getting work performing on radio as well as working on the farm. He was a singer and guitarist, a fan of early hillbilly star Jimmie Rogers, and became one of the pioneers of the style which became known as Western Swing when he formed his band The Country Ramblers in the early 1930s. With his own radio show in those days, called "The Bill Boyd Ranch House", he recorded well over 200 sides for the Bluebird and RCA labels from his 1934 debut through into the 1950s, when the careers of Bill and his brother Jim started to wind down. This 54-track 2-CD collection comprises selected A and B sides from his releases on the Bluebird and RCA-Victor labels from across his career. It features his US country hits "Shame On You" and "New Steel Guitar Rag", along with western swing classics like "Under The Double Eagle", "Wah-Hoo", "Fan It", "Beaumont Rag" and "I've Got Those Oklahoma Blues", offering a selection of both vocal and virtuoso instrumental performances. It is naturally a highly selective compilation from his large body of work, and only crosses over to a small extent with Acrobat's existing single-CD Bill Boyd Collections "Saturday Night Rag 19934-36" and "Lone Star Rag 1937-39". He was a ground-breaking artist and this is an enjoyable overview of his recording career.

Track List:

Disc: 1

1. Ridin' On A Humpback Mule
2. Ridin' Old Paint And Leadin' Old Ball
3. I'm Gonna Hop Off The Train
4. St Louis Blues
5. Mama Don't Like No Music Playin' Here
6. Song Bird Yodel
7. Going Back To My Texas Home
8. Under The Double Eagle
9. I Can't Tame Wild Women
10. When The Sun Goes Down Again
11. Boyd's Blues (Weary Blues)
12. Wah Hoo
13. Goofus
14. The Eyes Of Texas
15. River Blues (Ready For The River)
16. I Need One Sweet Letter From You
17. Beale Street Blues
18. Put Me In Your Pocket
19. Show Me The Way To Go Home
20. You Can't Come In
21. She's Doggin' Me
22. Beaumont Rag
23. Little Wooden Whistle
24. Fan It
25. Sister Lucy Lee
26. Cross Eyed Gal On The Hill

Disc: 2

1. That's Why I'm Jealous Of You
2. I'll Find You
3. You've Gotta See Mama Every Night
4. You're Just About Right
5. New Steel Guitar Rag
6. I've Got Those Oklahoma Blues
7. Frosty Mornin'
8. Won't You Please Come Home
9. Here Comes Pappy
10. I Get The Blues For Mammy
11. Home In Indiana
12. Drink The Barrel Dry
13. Swing Steel Swing
14. They Go Googoo Gaga Goofy Over Gobs
15. Jitterbug Jive
16. Rolling Down The Great Divide
17. My Birmingham Rose
18. Shame on You
19. New Spanish Two Step
20. Palace In Dallas
21. Don't Turn My Picture To The Wall
22. I'm Writing A Letter To Heaven
23. Pull Down The Shades And Lock The Door
24. Never Break Your Promise To A Woman
25. Too Blue To Care
26. Lone Star Rag
27. Pass The Turnip Greens
28. Yes You Did